Royal Tavern

Royal Tavern is home to the city’s best bar food. At the Queen Village spot, you can have it all: great drinks and memorable dishes, all while wearing something as casual as a South Philly High t-shirt. Every night of the week, they offer a menu of wings, sandwiches, and hearty comfort mains that are all made for ravenous consumption.  

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

The low-lit, wood-filled space is the kind of spot you’d like to meet friends and make new ones over a beer. Originally opened in 2002, the beloved neighborhood spot finally re-opened following a Covid shutdown. Old regulars who prayed to a lawn chair-shaped candle for Royal to reopen share their darkest secrets with new devotees. There might be a family movie playing on one TV and a Sixers game on the other. It’s a laidback, effortless neighborhood experience in a place with a menu that requires a lot of effort. The kitchen, which closes at 1am, is a saving grace for anyone who deserves more than a Wawa hoagie after midnight. 

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Yes, there’s a fantastically juicy burger with smoked gouda, bacon, and pickled long hots, and wings that are satisfyingly crispy. But there are also some items you wouldn’t expect from a place with 12 beers on tap. There are freakishly delicate pastry puffs filled with lump crab, grilled short rib with a chimichurri we’d like some alone time with, and a number of vegan dishes. The excellent, hefty sandwiches are meals unto themselves, and better than you’ll find at any other bar in the city. 

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Head here on a casual weeknight, late night, or when you’re craving a beer and house-smoked bologna while listening to Elton John. Royal’s a great bar—the food just happens to be more important than the booze.

Food Rundown

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Crab Puff

You’ll be leaning closer to the table just to get a better look at this beauty. It's an airy choux bun that’s packed with a creamy lump crab salad. Topped with shavings of grana padano, each chilly bite tastes even better than the whole thing looks.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Chicken Wings

It’s rare that you run into a dry rub wing that doesn’t need any dipping sauce. But that’s just the crispy miracle that’s taking place at Royal Tavern. They’re seasoned evenly and instead of a deep fry, the skin clings to the meat like a wet t-shirt. They come with pickled carrot and celery and a choice of peri peri, verde-like green sauce, cherry BBQ, and habañero tamarind. You can skip them all or go with the peri peri (our favorite).

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Smoked Beef And Bologna Sandwich

The chef makes the smoked bologna here, and that kind of TLC shows up in this stacked sandwich. It’s dripping in a sweet and tangy maple dijonaise, topped with tender horseradish onions, and comes on a pillowy potato roll. Grab one.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Royal Burger

This is the menu item Royal is known for. The patty is on the slimmer side and gets dressed up with melted smoked gouda, caramelized onions, spicy chili mayo, bacon, and a charred pickled long hot. Since it’s slender, you can make it a double patty for $22. The seeded bun holds the juices—even when it’s double the amount.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Grilled Short Rib

Instead of another boring tavern steak, they do a grilled boneless short rib here. And each strip is gloriously tender. The dish—that’s large enough for three—comes with roasted carrots and greens that are good enough to be one of the vegetarian mains on the menu. The herby chimichurri that tops it all makes it an entree that we’ll choose over any other pub steak for all time.

photo credit: NICOLE GUGLIELMO

Payday Pudding

We’ve tried all of the desserts here, and this vegan one that perfectly recreates the flavors of a Payday bar is our favorite. It’s simple: sweet caramel pudding, crunchy candied peanuts, and a dusting of sea salt. You could try to recreate it at home 1,000 times, and it will never be as good as this.